The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-10-25
THE SYLVIA'S FIRE OUT.
THE. DAMAGE NOT AS HEAVY AS
FIRST REPORTED.

awenty-two Bales Scorched, the Rest
Damaged by Water-A Part of the
Vessels Cargo to be Discharged
Talk Among the Cotton and Insur-
ance Men-Theories as to the Fire.
The fire on the British steamship Sylvia
was extinguished by l O'Clock yesterday
morning, when the department stopped
throwing water. The ships pumps were
set to work pumping the compartment
out, and We're kept at work all yesterday
and last night. The compartments of both
matches mos 1 and q were filled with water
clear up to the engine room bulkheads,
thereby damaging the cotton in No. hold
by water
BREAKING OUT THE COTTON.
The stevedores at once began breaking
out the cotton and loading 1t on lighters.
Upon examination it was found that the
fire was confined entirely to the starboard
bow of the vessel and the damage was not
nearly so great as was expected. Only
twenty-two bales were burned and scorched,
and they were taken out and put on
lighter and transferred to the wharf at the
foot of Drayton street The rest of the car
go in the compartment was damaged by
water.
The heat on the starboard bow of the
vessel must have been intense, as the paint
on the outside of the plates is blistered.
survey was held on the vessel yesterday
morning and the board ordered the cargo in
Nos / and holds to be discharged as quick
" as possible.
A VITAL QUESTION.
The subject of cotton fires has been
brought up again for discussion by the
\ md
81 is now one of the most vital questions OF
the day. The main object in all the discus
sions and Investigations is to determine the
cause of the frequent and mysterious dis
Rsters but though theory after theory has
been canvassed and thrown aside, and taken
up again and again, the solution seems to be
as far away as ever. The fact however, that
the conditions under which the fires occur
are strillingly similar, in fact the same, in
every case and that these conditions are so
easily reconcilable with the theory of in
cendiarism, has made many converts to the
belief that they are the result of the GRIM
3nal act of some one person or set OF persons.
A similar epidemic of cotton fires occurred
at one time in New Orleans, and in the end
three fire-bugs were sent to the penitentfary
for twenty years, and since that time there
have been no more fires at New Orleans
than may be reasonably charged to acct
dent.
THE ACCIDENT THEORY.
But accident in at least four of the several
fires that have occurred here seems almost
to be banished from the possibilities. Bust
ness men who are interested repeated again
yesterday the peculiar conditions under
which the four steamer fires have occurred
The vessels were all loaded or nearly loaded;
the fires were started in the last few bales
that were put in; none of them begun down
in the hold or under the decks, but
in or around the hat0hways; all
of them were discovered after the
matches had been closed, and none of them
while the loading had been going on, and the
rehearsal of these conditions brought out
again the old questions: ''Why do fires not
Start when a vessel is a half or a quarter
loaded9' 'Why not down in the bottom tier
instead of always in the tops" "Why do
they never break out when the men are at
work on her, but always under such condi-
tons and at such times that the fire will
gain Roadway before it is discovered"
"WhY do they not occur when a vessel has
only 900 bales in her, and not always
when she has all, or nearly ALL she can hold3'
These questions seem to narrow the discus
sion down to the two that logically follow,
viz: who sets fire to the ships, and what is
the mOtives The answers would be joyfully
received.
ALWAYS IN TRAMP VESSELS.
Another curious feature is that the fires
occur always on board the tramp steamers,
generally British vessels. The Ocean Steam
ship Company has during the busy seasons
been carrying one cargo per week to Phila-
delphia for seven years, three per week to
New York for ten years and one per week
to Boston for two years; yet in all that time
they have had but three or four fires while
four have occurred on British tramps within
the last few days
1t was thought that a clew had been OBJ
tanned yesterday. The captain of a vessel
which was loading with cotton inspected
the bales very closely and thought that he
discovered oil stains upon several of them.
He rejected those bales and taking some of
the stained cotton and bagging brought it
10 the office of his agent. A careful ex-
animation was made, and it was found that
at one time while the cotton was being
moved about it had rubbed against some
bacon and what appeared to be oil stains
was only bacon q ease.
THE UNDERWRITERS ACTION.
The underwriters are making careful
investigation, and they ha re written to their
agent, Mr.. j. n. johnson, asking for all the
facts connected with the fire that broke out
I'm bale that was being hoisted on board
the Kate Fawcett, suggesting that thor
ough investigation of that case might throw
some light upon the matter. A number of
ship agents here were in cable correspond
ence with the owners of ships across the
water yesterday and it was reported that
in one instance the owners cabled that they
would send no more vessels to this port
This rumor was positively denied by the
agent, who admitted, however, that the
owners were considering what the charter
rates should be in such a hazardous port
What action will be taken in the matter, if
any, is question yet to be considered.
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